Little Problem
by blvdgirl
Summary: Jack and the Doctor have to deal with an 8-year-old Rose after an accident. Can they restore her age and memory and escape the wrath of Jackie Tyler? Or will little Rose domesticate them? K for some minor language usage.
1. Prologue: Oh sh!

Disclaimer: The Doctor gives me permission to write stories about him and his companions as my fancy leads.

A/N: This idea was inspired by Jessa L'Ryan's "Misadventures in Babysitting" in that Jack and Rose became children in that one. In this one only Rose becomes a child. I hope that you enjoy it, and, as always, please review.

**LITTLE PROBLEM**

PROLOGUE

Jack smashed through the door to the High Councilor of Breckbeck's secret lab. He glanced wide-eyed from the Doctor who was struggling to hold down the manic scientist to the smoking machine to the small blonde child lying on the floor. His jaw dropped, "Oh shit."

Hearing Jack, the Doctor yelled, "Disconnect the power couplings, Jack. It's building up an internal overload—Dr. Barnes here rigged it to explode."

"But," Jack hesitated, "But if I disconnect it…" He looked helplessly at the child.

"I know. It's likely that the temporal storage will be erased," the Doctor also looked at the child, a pained expression on his face. "But if you don't. It won't matter anyway. Do it Jack."

So Jack hurried to the machine and began disconnecting wires amid flying sparks and smoke.

Dr. Barnes was still struggling in the Doctor's firm grip, his eyes revealing desperation and madness. He looked from Jack to the Doctor to the girl and his laugh cut across the room like a knife. "I win. I win. I win. In all the legends of my race, they say that the Doctor is above emotions, that he cannot be touched. But, I've done it. I've touched him. I've made him suffer as he made my people suffer for generations. Me. I did it. Me. I win."

The Doctor's face took on an even darker aspect. "Jack?" his voice was low.

Jack carefully removed a wire from between his teeth, "Yeah?"

"Are you done with that?"

Jack carefully removed one last connection from the hulking contraption. "I am now. What do you need?"

"Come and take him. We might need him later, and, if he doesn't shut it, I might do something I'll regret."

Jack immediately crossed to the Doctor's side and skillfully took the prisoner in hand. The scientist was still gloating, "Oh, temper, temper. Has the mighty TimeLord lost his plaything? Poor Doctor."

Jack eyed the scientist with disdain. "Do you need him conscious?"

"Not at the moment, no."

And, with a menacing smiling, Jack responded by cracking the scientist on the head. "That felt good."

"I'll bet," the Doctor replied, but his eyes were no longer on the prisoner. He was studying the child cautiously.

"Doctor," Jack asked, following his eyes. "Is she okay? Physically, I mean."

The Doctor's expression had changed from fury to something else as he looked at the girl. She hadn't stirred since the explosion, since she'd been changed… "I don't know." He answered honestly, his voice nearly cracking.

"Well, don't you think you ought to check? That was quite an explosion. I was knocked over by the shock wave as I came down the hallway," he indicated a torn and bloody patch on his knee. "She may need medical attention, and we won't be able to reverse anything if she's…" Jack trailed off.

"I know, Jack. I know."

The Doctor squared his shoulders and approached the precious heap of child on the lab's cement floor. Kneeling beside her, he pulled his sonic screwdriver from his leather jacket pocket, and, turning it on so that it emitted a light hum, he scanned the curve of her neck and spine. Satisfied that her spinal cord was in tact, he turned her onto her back very gently and carefully moved her limbs—not an easy feat as the clothing that she was wearing was several sizes too large. As he did so, the child grimaced. "Shhh," he soothed. "It's all right Rose. You're all right. You've had a bit of an accident, and I'm just checking you over for damages."

Rose opened her eyes, strikingly big in her smaller face, and looked up at the Doctor in confusion. "It hurts." She mumbled, closing them again.

"What hurts, Rose?" the Doctor asked scanning down her legs and arms for breaks.

"My head," she answered softly, "And my chest. It hurts to breath."

The Doctor immediately scanned her head and chest. He turned his eyes to Jack, "Concussion, some minor cranial pressure caused by a bleed, several broken ribs, and one of her lungs collapsing. I've got to get her into the med bay of the TARDIS right now. Did you find it?"

Jack nodded. "They've got it locked up in a lab on the other side of the compound." He picked up the unconscious man and put him over his shoulder. "I'll lead the way."

The Doctor leant down to pick up the child. "I'm sorry, Rose, but I've got to move you. It'll probably hurt."

The child Rose studied him carefully, her eyes no longer dull, and then gritted her teeth and nodded. "Wait," she said suddenly, as he gently slid his arms under her. "Who are you?"

The Doctor tried to keep his expression clear, tried not to reveal how deeply that question disturbed him coming from her lips. "I'm the Doctor." He said over-brightly, and then lifted her and cradled her carefully against his chest.

Then she smiled, a foreshadowing of the smile that he often executed elaborate schemes just to bring forth. "Doctor who?" she quipped, and then, with a ragged gasp and a soft moan, and she slid into the warm darkness of unconsciousness missing his answer completely.


	2. Chapter 1: As you wish

**LITTLE PROBLEM**

CHAPTER 1

Jack entered the med bay cautiously. The Doctor was unusually still as he sat and watched the rise and fall of Rose's chest."She's fine. I was able to repair all the damage. She's just resting now. Did you get everything?"

"I think so. I got all his records and files and all the pieces of the device set up in a make-shift lab near Barnes' cell."

"And how is our guest?"

"Obnoxious, obviously. But, other than insisting that he'll do nothing to help you, he's been pretty quiet since regaining consciousness."

The Doctor nodded, his face draw with worry. "You should get some sleep, Jack."

Jack responded by pulling up a chair alongside of the Doctor's. "Don't mind if I do, thanks."

0o0o0o0o0

Rose woke up in a strange room. It felt sort of like a hospital—there were bleeping monitors and the air had a sterile smell that reminded her of the time when she'd had to have her wrist plastered after a bad fall in gymnastics. She held up the offending wrist and examined it in the golden light—fine, now. Sitting up, Rose saw that she was indeed dressed in a white hospital gown, but there were no cords or wires attached to her. Examining her small body for obvious injuries and feeling her own forehead for warmth, she couldn't guess what was wrong with her, and she couldn't remember how she'd come to be sick.

A light snore drew her attention to the two men who sat sleeping at her bedside. The lanky one seemed a bit familiar, and she remembered that he was her doctor. He had been with her right after the accident. She didn't remember the accident, but she did recall the pain now. Horrible, sharp pain in her chest and a fierce pounding in her head—all better now, she concluded with the nonchalance of childhood, running her chubby fingers over her ribs and pushing against her side. Doctor must have fixed her up, she decided, smiling as she remembered the kind man with the blue light who had been so gentle when examining her and who hadn't lied to her about how much it would hurt like most grown-ups would have done.

She didn't recognize the other man at all.

And where was her mother? She wondered looking around the room, hadn't they thought to call her mother? But while Jackie was decidedly absent, Rose quickly forgot her indignation, distracted by what she saw around her. What is this place, she mused, eyeing the arching ceiling in awe. It reminded her of something off of the Discovery Channel, something aquatic and alive. It felt very friendly, as if the walls themselves were trying to make her feel safe and welcome, and Rose Tyler, giddy with rest, stood upon the bed and danced to a song that she couldn't really hear but that seemed to fill her whole head and heart with joy.

And that is how the Doctor saw her when he opened his eyes, dancing with his blasted ship in carefree abandon, perfectly well and healed, except of course for the fact that she was only eight years old, that she had more than half her lifetime of experiences and memories in a single moment, and that he didn't have any idea how he might repair her.

As if sensing his frustration in the atmosphere in the room, Rose stopped her dancing and looked at him, her eyes glowing bright. "It's all right, Doctor. You shouldn't worry 'cause I'm all right. You fixed me good." And bouncing down into a seated heap, she asked, "What's this place?"

The Doctor almost laughed at her, this uncanny little human who even at eight seemed ready to reassure him at every corner, and answered truthfully. "This is the TARDIS."

"The TARDIS?" Rose asked, and, just as the Doctor was about to explain that TARDIS means Time and Relative Dimension in Space, she continued, "That's a pretty name." Dumbfounding the Doctor completely.

"Is the TARDIS a boat?"

"Why would she be a boat?" The Doctor questioned, wanting to understand the child's queer reasoning.

The child paused a moment and looked thoughtful before answering—she wanted to be clearly understood. She was used to having to explain things to grown-ups; her mum and her Aunt Moe hardly ever made the connections that were so simple and clear in Rose's mind. "Well, it's like on the telly," she explained—the telly was usually a good place to start with grown-ups—"Whenever a man has a ship and he talks about her, there's always a sort of loving sound in his voice. And you," she pointed at the Doctor, "Had that sort of loving sound in your voice when you said 'This is the TARDIS'." Then, she nodded as if that settled it.

"Ah," The Doctor replied, delighted to find that the child Rose's mind worked in much the same way as her adult self's. "The TARDIS isn't a boat, but she is a ship. She's a ship that travels in time and space. Do you believe me?"

Rose's eyes had grown to the size of saucers. "A spaceship?"

"Sort of," the Doctor winced, "In that you can fly in it to other stars and planets and things, but not really like a spaceship because it…" he stumbled. How could he explain the workings of his magnificent time ship to an eight-year-old? He finished lamely, "Because it's so much better than a spaceship."

"Nice finish on that one." Jack quipped with a smirk. He'd awakened to hear Rose call the TARDIS "pretty" and had watched their interaction with enjoyment.

"Thanks," said the Doctor sarcastically.

"And who are you?" Chimed Rose.

Jack gave her a winning smile, "I, Little Missy, am Captain Jack Harkness. But you can call me Uncle Jack."

She matched his smile. "Captain Jack? So this is your ship?"

"What?" Sputtered the Doctor while Jack let out a guffaw.

"Well," Rose's face clouded in confusion, "You're the Doctor, and he's the Captain. Isn't that right?"

Jack took a seat beside her on the bed. "That's right, honey. I'm the Captain, but the Doctor is the owner. So he's in charge."

Rose nodded as if this statement cleared everything up. "Are we travelling in space now?"

"Sort of."

"That's why my mother's not here." Rose said decisively. "She wouldn't like to be in space." The Doctor and Jack eyed each other. Neither of the men wanted to even consider Jackie Tyler's reaction to their current predicament.

"That's right, Rose." The Doctor replied nonchalantly. "We invited Jackie along, but she didn't want to come. But she trusts us, she totally trusts us to take good care of you, so you have to be obedient, okay?"

Rose studied the Doctor's face. "You're fibbing." She said finally. "I can't tell what you're fibbing about, but I can tell you are."

The Doctor had the decency to look affronted while Jack guffawed, "Even at this age, she's got your number, Doc"

Rose looked at the two men, the one upset that she'd caught him lying and the other laughing because she had. She trusted them—she didn't know why—but she didn't think that her mother would. That's probably what the Doctor was fibbing about, she decided. But, as she felt safe and as she felt very, very curious, she jumped down to the floor and stated in the most polite and regal-manner she could muster, the one that made her mother tell her to stop putting on airs. "I'd like to get dressed now, and then I'd like to explore the TARDIS."

Then the Doctor chuckled, "As you wish."


	3. Chapter 2: Shopping

CHAPTER 2

Clothes were a problem. The Doctor hadn't ever traveled with a child as small as Rose, and, after a quick but thorough examination of the wardrobe, the two men made the decision that they would have to take Rose shopping. They decided to avoid earth. The Doctor was certain that even if they landed on the opposite side of the globe, Jackie Tyler would somehow find out what had happened to Rose and slap them to death.

They decided that the best thing to do was to make a quick stop at a space-mall. Jack had suggested several human-friendly planets with ample shopping and various play-parks, but the Doctor wanted to stay in the vortex until they could repair Barnes' infernal machine and somehow put Rose to rights.(If they could put Rose to rights; neither of the men verbalized the possibility that they wouldn't somehow be able to fix it.)

The Doctor was worried that if they landed anywhere—planet, moon, space station—that the mayhem and chaos that seemed to follow him everywhere would somehow erupt and that Rose would be injured further or, heaven forbid, lost for good. She was so small and vulnerable, he thought, eying her dressed in a pink, over-sized jumper and perched on the jumpseat, a fragile and precious thing that must be protected at all costs.

The TARDIS landed on Gracix 6—a small, bustling space-port in the Serenish System. The Doctor was careful to initiate several non-routine fail-safes when exiting the TARDIS; after all, he had a prisoner inside who certainly wasn't welcome to muck about with his beautiful ship.

When they exited the ship, Rose looked in wonder at the TARDIS. "You've disguised it!" She exclaimed, delighted.

"Yep." The Doctor said brightly.

"It looks like an old phone box or something." She continued, running her fingers across the panels.

"Yep. A Police Public Call Box." The Doctor stated proudly, pointing out the lettering on the top of the TARDIS to the child.

Rose laughed, "Oh, she's so clever!" And she wrapped her arms as far as they would go around the box and hugged it.

"Oi," the Doctor retorted in mock indignation, "She's clever? What about me?" But Rose only continued to laugh in response.

Exiting the storage area in which they'd parked, Rose walked between the Doctor and Jack. She held both men's hands, an arrangement that got several smiles from passersby. "What's everybody smirking at?" The Doctor scoffed.

Jack gave the other man a wolfish smile, "Well, we are the most adorable family within at least three galaxies."

The Doctor coughed at this, and Jack thought he heard an, "As if," muttered from that general direction.

Rose was ignoring the two men's conversation, and, while she clung tightly to their hands, her eyes roved wildly around them as they walked. Finally, as though her excitement just could not be contained one moment longer, she exclaimed, "Look at all the people!"

The Doctor smiled indulgently at his little charge. The space-mall was filled with aliens of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and very few of them bore any resemblance to human beings at all. He couldn't help but remember the 19-year-old Rose's reaction to her first aliens on Platform One. Maybe, he considered looking at the wonder on the 8-year-old's unprejudiced face, maybe he should travel with small children more often…

And quite suddenly, the face of another eight-year-old child came unbidden to the forefront of his consciousness—a small boy with Rose's eyes and his ears (heaven forbid!)—but as soon as he recognized that possibility for what it was, he quickly pushed the thought away. This certainly wasn't the time to be considering that eight-year-old, not when the origin of those inquisitive eyes was currently a child herself. A child who was suddenly pulling at his arm enthusiastically and chattering something about a store they were about to pass.

The Doctor eyed the store and was unsurprised to find a garishly girlish pink window display. He looked quizzically at Jack, who only shrugged and said, "Some things never change."

0o0o0o0o0

Several hours and hundreds of Galactic Credits later, Jack carried armfuls of shopping bags and the Doctor carried a sleeping Rose Tyler (now more appropriately dressed in a t-shirt and over-alls) back to the TARDIS. Upon entering the console room, the Doctor checked that his internal security measures were still in effect and was reassured by his ship that their prisoner was still securely locked away.

Then, he carried Rose to her bedroom. Jack let out a low whistle when the door opened to reveal quite a different room than the one he was used to seeing. The Doctor, however, seemed unsurprised that the TARDIS had made the change. The color scheme wasn't too different—pink and purple and sparkly. However, the bed was lower and twin-sized. Instead of the vanity, there was a low table and chairs. And a bookshelf had even appeared that looked surprisingly well-stocked with children's books.

"Ah, she's just showing off a bit," the Doctor said in response to the questioning look on Jack's face. "Besides, I think she felt badly about not having any clothes to fit."

"Of course she did." Jack responded. "But, that's ok, sweetheart. If you'd have had the clothes to fit little Rosie in your wardrobe, I wouldn't have gotten to see the Doctor heckling with a sales assistant over a pair of pink footsie-pajamas. "

The light in the room seemed to glow momentarily brighter at this and the hum of the ship sounded surprisingly near laughter. The Doctor looked nonplussed, "Now what'd you have to go and show her that memory for?"

Jack winked roguishly. "I can't keep secrets from my best girl, now can I?"

"I wish you'd stop flirting with my ship." The Doctor grumbled.

"Jealous?" Jack retorted.

The Doctor only rolled his eyes in response. Then, he looked at the sleeping child he had cradled to his chest. "Right then," he said quietly, "Best put this one in bed."

Jack turned down the bedclothes, and the Doctor laid Rose down carefully. She mumbled something incomprehensible as Jack removed her shoes, but she didn't wake. Gently, the Doctor tucked the blankets up around her and touched his lips briefly to her forehead.

"What?" he flared as he pulled back to see Jack watching him with a broad grin.

"Nothing. It's just," Jack paused and composed his face into a less obvious smile, "I thought you said you didn't do domestic."

The Doctor shook his head at his companion and headed towards the door. "Well, come on then, if you're coming…We've got a man to see about a machine."


	4. Chapter 3: Wandering Off

_A/N--Sorry about the delay... I've been so dreadful with updates lately. I hope that you'll forgive me and continue reading. And, I hope that you'll take the time to review._

CHAPTER 3

Rose woke up quite suddenly feeling as if someone had shouted her awake, but there was no one in her room. And other than the friendly hum of the TARDIS, she couldn't hear anything. She climbed quickly from under her pink comforter and was delighted to find herself fully dressed, except for her trainers, which she spied laying on the floor near her bed.

Once shod, Rose hesitated for just a moment with her hand on the door. She didn't really know what she was supposed to do; perhaps the Doctor and Uncle Jack wanted her to stay in her room. The TARDIS was an awfully big spaceship after all, and she could easily get lost. But, she thought smiling and pushing the door open, if that was the case then they should have said.

The hallway was filled with the same amber glow as her room, but she saw no fixtures or switches. Rose took the corridor going left and nearly skipped her way down it humming along with the song swirling about in her mind. There were lots of doors, she discovered, and all of them were closed. That was funny, because the doors of their flat in London were always open, unless her mother had a boyfriend staying over—_g-r-o-s-s!_

By the time she came to the fifth door, she could resist her curiosity. She opened it cautiously, as if expecting to be chided, but when her eyes could comprehend what she was seeing all of her fears dissolved and were replaced by joy. It was a garden—a whole garden with flowers and trees and fountains and birds, right inside the Doctor's TARDIS. She closed the door carefully behind her (she didn't want one of the birds getting lost, after all) and began exploring.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The Doctor was frustrated. He and Jack were making considerable progress rebuilding the Breckbeckian Age-Phaser—there was no reason to expect that it wouldn't work again with just a few more hours of labor on their part—however, the temporal memory storage unit was still a scoured lump of worthless metal. Both men clung to the desperate possibility that Rose's nineteen-year-old consciousness was still safely tucked away inside of it, but both men were hesitant to fiddle with the device. Any false move on their part, one wire pulled wrong, and their Rose would be gone.

Jack had finally begged off to go and get a little rest. Sometimes the Doctor actually forgot that his arrogant friend was human as he was so good at compartmentalizing his ape-like needs, but , ape-like or not, they both needed the break. Especially as the Doctor suspected that some of Jack's desire to sleep was compounded by his desire to get away from Dr. Barnes.

The man had clearly gone mad (and no wonder that, spoke an unwelcome and compassionate voice in the Doctor's head; his whole planet lost to vanity through the technology that he created). Dr. Barnes had been goading them from his cell while they worked. Initially both Jack and the Doctor had tried to include the man in the repair process, asking questions, and seeking advice, but he had only mocked them and their futile efforts. Both men had left off asking eventually, but the scientist's taunting had continued.

The Doctor followed his feet down the corridor towards Rose's room. It was time to check on his little charge, he decided. Based on his internal calculations, he had tucked her in about seven hours before, so he expected that she would still be safely buried in pink blankets sleeping. He did not expect to find the room empty.

His initial response upon discovering her absence was fear—after all, she set new standards for jeopardy-friendly and the TARDIS was a very big ship and did he ever put a lock on the door to _that_ lab because if she found her way in there, heaven forbid, and what about _that_ room with the—the TARDIS practically had to shout at him to calm him with the knowledge of her location. And slamming her door with a mumble that sounded suspiciously like "tracking device," the Doctor headed back down the hallway towards the closest kitchen.

He was about to burst into the kitchen and lay down the law to one errant little eight-year-old, when the sound of her sweet laughter stopped him. From just outside the kitchen doorway, he heard her crystalline voice echoing. "And then," she voiced gaily, "She ran up into the tree. The gigantic gray one with the smooth bark that I told you about and disappeared with it into her house."

Inside the kitchen, Jack laughed freely at her story and her delight. "Well, little missy, let that be a lesson to you. If you ever again have the urge to undress out-of-doors, be especially careful about where you leave your cloths."

"Sounds like good advice for the giver, Jack," said the Doctor finally stepping in to be greeted by a charming domestic tableau. Jack was sitting at the kitchen's table with a cup of tea in his hand. There were several books opened on the table—animal encyclopedias by the look of them. And, Rose dressed in her trainers and overalls but sans shirt, was standing at his right elbow proudly showing him a crayon-colored drawing that she'd made in a sketchbook. Both of them looked to him with bright smiles when he entered.

"Doctor!" Squealed the exuberant Rose, dropping her notebook in Jack's hand, and throwing herself around the Doctor's waist in a hug. "Guess what I found today?"

The Doctor scooped up the clinging child and held her lightly with the nonchalance of a man who accepted childish embraces as a common thing. Crossing the small room to take her sketchpad from Jack, he looked at her drawing carefully, and then smiled broadly at her. "Looks like you met Mrs. Strumpet."

"Mrs. Strumpet?" Both of his companions echoed, one with curiosity and the other with barely-concealed surprise.

"Yeah. Only remaining female Dew Fox in the universe. Found her living all by herself in a swamp on Bratsburg 9. Tried to introduce her to a colony of male Dew Foxes lingering their way towards extinction on Bratsburg 8, but she'd none of them. So I'm stuck with her." He winked at Rose and lovingly set her down in the chair that she'd clearly been occupying before Jack's arrival, the areas around it marked as it was with crayola debris and encyclopedias, one of which was opened, he noted proudly, to the entry for Dew Fox. "She run off with your shirt then?"

"I went swimming in the pond." Rose announced carefully, not certain whether or not she would get in trouble for swimming without a grown-up nearby or for losing her shirt or for both. Her mother would have scolded her sounded for either.

"Ah." The Doctor responded noncommittally. Then, he clapped his hands loudly together, making Rose jump. "Right. Have you had breakfast?"

Surprised that she wasn't in trouble, Rose pointed to a yellow peel, browning among the books scattered before her. "I ate a banana."

The Doctor smiled widely. "I like bananas," he said sagely.

"Bananas are good." She agreed.

Jack laughed at this interchange which puzzled Rose exceedingly, but the Doctor continued smiling, "How about some pancakes and maybe some orange juice?"

Rose nodded eagerly.

"Good," the Doctor said going towards the cupboards, "And while I fix it, let's talk about the rules." His voice was firm, "Rule #1—No wandering off."


End file.
